Hesperian Health Guides
Chapter 13: The birth of the placenta: Stage 3 of labor
After the birth of the baby, the placenta must be born. This is stage 3, which usually lasts less than 1 hour. To deliver the placenta, the mother's body must keep making oxytocin, which helps the womb contract like it did during labor.
To help the placenta come out, support the mother to:
- feel calm and relaxed after the birth.
- have skin-to-skin contact with the baby as soon as possible.
- breastfeed as soon as possible, or remove milk by hand if the baby cannot or will not feed.
- keep warm.
It can also help to delay cord cutting until the placenta comes out.
This is often a happy time for the family. Make sure the mother is healthy, but also give the family time to be with the new baby.
This page was updated:28 Aug 2024